One of my most vivid memories I have from childhood is when my soccer team would go to Rita’s after a game to get ‘Italian ice.” At 8 years old, I made it my mission to inform my teammates that there is no such thing as Italian ice! It was all an American ruse! They didn’t really care.

And as it turns out, I may have been partially wrong. Years later, I fell in love with granita, a sweetened and flavored slushed ice from Sicily. Instead of ice and dyed syrups, granita is made with whole ingredients, and a good fork (or blender) to slush. I first discovered lemon granita with my brother in Pozzallo, Sicily, where we ordered a cup from a cart on the street. To this day, it’s one of my favorite summer desserts – just ask Mount Granita from Cleveland!

Granita’s history traces back nearly 4,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia, where snow would be fetched for royal drinks. Following the Arab conquest of Sicily in the 9th century, Mount Etna snow was mixed with sugarcane and lemons to create what is now granita. Granita comes in several classic flavors including limone (lemon), caffè (coffee), mandorla tostata (toasted almond), and gelsi (mulberry). Nowadays, you see more inventive flavors, like mint mojito. Traditionally, granita is savored alongside a brioche. Did you think this was a just dessert? In Italy, this is enjoyed as a breakfast too, sandwiched .

My quest to make granita al limone started when my brother proposed that for his high school senior project, he wanted to sell granita out of his vintage Fiat Cinquecento. His company name: Granita Guy (pictured below). I offered to assist with the granita recipe testing and after several tries of “too tarty” or “too sweet”, I’ve finally landed on a melodious balance of three ingredients: water, sugar, and lemon juice.

Buon appetito!

I would highly recommend serving this after any Italian-based meal.